Prince posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame

Eight years after the much-loved singer passed away, Prince has been inducted into the esteemed Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF).

The ceremony took place on July 27 at the Target Center in Prince’s hometown of Minneapolis, where his sister, Sharon Nelson, accepted the award on his behalf, stating: "You will always remember his songs. This is the award he wanted more than any other in life – to be known as a great songwriter."

Also at the ceremony, a 40th-anniversary screening of the rock musical drama film Purple Rain was shown, scored by and starring Prince.

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The artist, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006, and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2016, was selected for induction into SHOF in 2013, but his busy schedule meant he was not able to attend the ceremony (according to policy, a songwriter has to attend the gala in person for it to be official).

He reached out to the organisation in 2015, expressing how much the award meant to him, and that he was available for the 2016 ceremony. Sadly, the singer passed away suddenly that year, just two months before he was scheduled to be inducted.

Speaking about the ceremony, SHOF CEO Linda Moran said: “It has been a long road, but we are thrilled that one of the world’s most prolific and phenomenal songwriters is finally a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.”

Prince is the second artist to be added to the list posthumously, after the late country singer Cindy Walker (who wrote the hit song ‘You Don't Know Me’ in 1955) was inducted in April this year. Other songwriters who have won the prestigious award include Missy Elliott(the first female hip hop artist), Jay-Z, Cat Stevens, Sade, Taylor Swift and Snoop Dogg.

Chic co-founder Nile Rogers, who was made Chairman of the award in 2018, described its significance at last year’s ceremony: “The music industry does not exist without songwriters delivering great songs first. Without them there is no recorded music, no concert business, no merch… nothing, it all starts with the song and the songwriter. We are therefore very proud that we are continually recognising some of the culturally most important songwriters of all time.”

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Prince’s role as one of the most culturally important songwriters of all time is hard to dispute. Not only did the artist write every song in his catalogue, including five Billboard number one singles (‘When Doves Cry’, ‘Let's Go Crazy’, ‘Kiss’, ‘Batdance’ and ‘Cream’), he also wrote hits for other artists including Chaka Khan’s GRAMMY Award-winning ‘I Feel For You’ and Sinead O’Connor’s ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’.

Born Prince Rogers Nelson, the influential artist was known for his flamboyant style and somewhat reserved personality. In a recent interview on The Jason Show, frequent collaborator Sheila E revealed that Prince was supposed to perform a duet with the late Michael Jackson of the hit single ‘Bad’, but declined due to his issue with the lyric: “Your butt is mine.” According to Sheila E, Prince had recorded an “incredible” solo version of the track but he “erased the whole thing. Right there.” Not even Jackson heard Prince’s rendition.

Who knows what other pieces of genius went unheard? But at least the ones that were, have finally been recognised by the artist’s most desired award.

[Via: Billboard]

Meena Sears is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow her on Instagram